I saw this meme hosted by
The Broke and The Bookish and I like this week's topic. What are the top 10 books you can't believe you've never read? This isn't actually in any order, but it is 10 books I haven't read. Some of them are ones I personally am surprised I haven't read and the others are ones other people are surprised to find out I haven't read. I can't think of 10 in either category so I'm mixing them together.
- Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. I've had this book for years and every once in awhile I see it on the shelf and think "I should read that. It's short so I could probably finish it today." And then I shrug my shoulders and go back to whatever intelligent activity I was currently engaged in, like watching Wipeout! I will get around to it eventually, I swear!
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. This is another book I've had for years, at least since elementary school and yet I never picked it up. I think I may have missed the boat on this one, like I did with E.T. I never saw that movie and I think now that I missed it as a child it's not going to mean much to be as an adult. I may let this one pass me by but I do own it so who knows.
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. My dad bought me this book when I was a child and for the most part I love the new books he introduces me to. He hit home runs with Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse 5 but I never picked up this one. I tried it around the time I tried reading the rest of the LotR trilogy. I think I skimmed 2 pages and then quit.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I recently bought a copy of this book because I had already read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies twice and I thought it was stupid that I'd never read P&P.
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding. In my high school English class we were split up into groups. Some people read Lord of the Flies, some read All's Quiet on the Western Front and my group read 1984. I plan on reading this one. Eventually...
- Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. I've taken several Shakespeare classes throughout high school and college and this play just never came up in any of them. I even took an entire class only on Shakespeare's tragedies but we never read this one. I guess this didn't fit into the professor's definition, which was "a dream of innocence realized by a fact of guilt that acquiesces therein". How I miss academia.
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I haven't actually read any of the Narnia series but I include this one because I loved the animated movie version. I can't find when that one came out but I do know it's not the 1979 version. That box looks way more colorful and happy than I remember the movie being. I have one of the books on my shelf from when my brother read it, but I never got around to it.
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Like P&P, I've never read this one. I've never been a big fan of British Regency/Victorian lit so normally this wouldn't be a surprise that I haven't read it. Except for the fact that the first of my favorite book series, the Thursday Next series, is called The Eyre Affair and many of the characters play big parts in the book.
- Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. This one I can't believe I haven't yet read because I can't believe my self restraint. I love Fforde and have been waiting for this book to come out...in paperback. I know I like paperbacks better than hardcover so I'm trying to hold out. I almost caved once (it was a signed copy!!!) but I held fast.
- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. I haven't actually read any of Hemingway's work and this is a travesty I've been meaning to fix. Just as soon as I get through all of this other very important work.
What are some books you can't believe you've never read?
